Dishes from Dobrogea

Dobrogea is a Romanian territory located between the Danube River and the Black Sea, in southeastern Romania

In Dobrogea, the
cuisine has strong Oriental influences, because of the Turkish-tartar minority
living there. As a rule, the cuisine in Dobrogea is largely based on fish and
mutton. Chicken, beef and pork are not excluded either.

Fishermen's soups,
marinated fish, fish brine, Dobrogea pilaf, Dobrogea salads, mutton sausages
and spit-roasted lamb are typical of the Dobrogea region. However, in Dobrogea
you may find a wide variety of dishes which are specific to the Turkish-Tartar
minority, such as the kebap, which is lamb or beef broiled on a skewer or a
stick, the dried sausages known as ghiudem or babic, the Dobrogea Moussaka or
the rice-based side dishes.

Dobrogea also boasts
a series of tasty desserts, based on raisins and the Turkish delight also known
as lokum, or the famous baklava, a pastry dish made of layers of filo filled
with chopped nuts, and held together with syrup or honey, or the saraili, made
of nuts and honey, typical of the Turkish and Tartar community in the region.

Today you will learn
how to cook mutton leg. The first recipe teaches you how to prepare a thick
soup. For that, you need 6-8 potatoes, a carrot, an onion, one parsley root,
one parsnip and tomato juice. You may also need a bunch of dill and another one
of parsley, pepper and salt. Peel and wash the meat, then cut it into small
pieces.

Let the meat boil
with a bit of salt, then skim the resulting foam. Add all the finely-chopped
vegetables and the potatoes cut into cubes. Towards the end, add the tomato
juice. You can sour the soup with fermented wheat bran brew or sauerkraut
juice. You will have to put to boil the sauerkraut juice separately and strain
it before pouring it into the pot. Dress the soup with two beaten eggs before
removing the pot from the cooker. Sprinkle some finely chopped parsley and
dill. The soup is best served hot.

The second recipe for
today is mutton leg stuffed with rice and mushrooms. Peel, slice and de-bone
the meat. Cut a lemon in half, then rub it into the meat, on both sides. You
also need 250 grams of mushrooms that you have to finely-chop and sauté in oil,
together with a finely-chopped onion. Add the parsley and dill leaves, also
finely-chopped, ground pepper and salt to taste.

Stuff the mutton leg
with the filling and grease it with oil. Place the leg on a tray and oven-bake
it for about two hours. Every now and then sprinkle the resulting juice on the
meat. The mutton leg stuffed with rice and mushrooms is best served hot.